B&W's known for a kind of antique-meets-future design approach—think AirPlay Zeppelin. But the new PM1 mini-monitors look squarely from the pre-War past. Each helmet-shaped unit sports a panoply of materials (kevlar, carbon fiber, resin) for a pretty face.

Given B&W's record, the PM1s are probably packing more than looks as well. They claim their top-mounted tweeter, looking like some strange industrial fungus sprout, offers greater clarity of sound from its vantage point atop the cabinet. The rest of the low and mid sound's pushed by two 5-inch kevlar drivers.

But none of this matters if you can't cough up the $2,800 per pair—and that doesn't include the $550 stands. [Bowers & Wilkins]